Curated OER
People at Work
Students create a work of art and write a story about "Man with a Hoe Five Years Later." students also photograph their hands with a tool and write about what wonderful tools hands are.
Curated OER
Cesar Chavez Biopoem
Students demonstrate their learning about Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union by writing a biopoem. They word process the poem.
Curated OER
SALLY RIDE
Students express what it would be like to launch off into outer space in a space shuttle. They include what it might feel like, look like, sound like, and any thoughts that go through their mind as they dart away from the Earth's...
Curated OER
Los Angeles Throughout the Years
In groups, 4th graders are given a recent decade to focus on and its impact on Los Angeles and to see how the city has changed over time.
Curated OER
Day of the Dead
Students explore Day of the Dead, also called "Dia de los Muertos," which is a holiday (or festival) celebrated in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and other areas in Central and South America populated with the Latino ethnic background.
Curated OER
Uniform Blues
Fourth graders explore what the U.S. Constitution is and why it is important, the purpose of the state constitution, and its relationship to the U.S. Constitution and the similarities and differences among federal, state and local...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Coming to California [Pdf]
In this lesson, 4th graders examine entries from Juan Bautista de Anza's diary and other documents to understand the experiences and obstacles he and his companions faced as they traveled from Arizona to California in 1774. Student...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Immigration: Framing Soo Hoo Lem Kong
[Free Registration/Login Required] This resource presents a primary lesson plan that looks at primary sources to learn about Chinese immigration to California.
Books in the Classroom
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site: In Plain Sight
Carol Hurst uses one of her own books, "In Plain Sight," as a basis for this lesson plan on the California gold rush. In addition to discussion questions about the book, Hurst provides ten activities designed to help students explore...
University of California
Cal Heritage Collection: Using Primary Sources
This resource covers what primary sources are, where we can find them, and how we can assess them in the classroom.